Vermilion
by zhulie
Summary: Our encounter was purely by chance. But with this one stroke of luck, our stories interwined and our unchangeable fate laced together. It was as if the world had shattered.


A/N: Hey guys! I was inspired to write this after watching the MV "The Wolf That Fell in Love With Red Riding Hood."

Please note that this is only my second time writing a fanfic, and I would appriciate it if you would review and give me constructive criticism! Thanks!

Enjoy~

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I wrapped my cloak closer to my body in desperate attempt to stay warm. It was no use, the wind still froze me to my bones. The worn out slippers adorning my feet did nothing to help with the current chill.

Even though it was spring, the weather was still harsh and unforgiving. The cold bit into my bare hands, rendering them numb. The woven handle of my basket dug into my skin painfully, weighed down by its contents. Filled with gleaming red apples, my mother had sent me to sell them at the market.

Thankfully nature had been kind to us this year. Despite the freezing temperature, the apple tree in our orchard was fruitful. It was a wonderful thing - it meant that we won't be left without food money any time soon.

I tilted my head up to the sky, basking my face in the warm sunlight, I noticed the positioning of the sun was right above me. It was noon.

Reluctantly prying myself away from the much welcomed heat, I picked up my pace. The market would be closed by the time I get there if I didn't hurry.

Dread crossed my mind as I realized to make up for the time, I would have to take a shortcut. The quickest way to get to the market was to cross the woods. It were times like these where I regret living so far away from civilization. My cottage was located quite inconveniently far from central town. There was a patch of woods that lay right between my house, and the market place.

I've always hated the woods.

The dark foliage and murky depths held a mysterious, ominous aura.

In usual circumstances, I would avoid the patch of forestry by simply walking around it. However today, I was pressing for time, and also had an important mission - there were apples that needed to be sold. I had no other choice.

My steps became ridged as I stepped into unfamiliar territory. Tensing, I took in my surroundings. There were wild flowers blooming, beautifully scattered across the green. The vibrant colors were a stark contrast against the dark trees and shadows. It's peaceful - too peaceful.

The silence was deafening.

I hear no birds chirping, nor do I see any tiny animals scurrying about. The only sound heard is the faint rustle of leaves, as the wind pushed through persistently. This was unusual.

Eyes narrowed, I took in my surroundings once again, this time, wary.

The dark murky shadows deep behind the trees, they seemed to mock me. Taunting me, luring me closer, to stray from the dirt path and into the mysterious woods; to find out what lay beyond.

Something moved.

Assumptions were made before I could even help it, my mind thinking up of strange, horrendous creatures that may lay within the woods.

Fear seeped into me, reducing my legs to wobbly jello, and I stiffened up into stone. Surely this was just my imagination at work. Maybe I read too many ghost tales. Yes, that was it.

Convincing myself that I was foolish, I squared my shoulders and walked on. Soft leaves crunched beneath my feet, and compared to the erie silence - the crunching of leaves sounded as if they were thunder.

I had not noticed the rock laying in my path until it was far too late - I had already tripped, head first.

The basket I held tumbled over and the scarlet red fruits jumped out, rolling away. Muttering a string of curses under my breath, I dusted my dress and cloak of any dirt that had managed to cling. Scrambling over to the nearest apple, I crouched down to pick it up. Before I even made contact, something interfered.

A clawed hand entered my vision.

I watched as nimble, pale fingers curled themselves firmly around the fruit.

My head snapped up, our gazes locked. Transfixed, I stared into two pools of blood.

_Beautiful._

With a gentle smile, he held the apple up to my face, urging me to take it.

It was then when I noticed to fangs prodding from his lip, they looked canine, and ... deadly. Then, I saw two fluffy objects resting on top of his golden hair, what looked to be - ears? The swishing tail behind him caught my attention as well.

Confusion startled me, then realization hit like a ton of bricks - and those bricks hit hard.

My faced distorted into terror as I finally registered that this thing, he wasn't human.

A scream choked up in my throat.

Demon.

Feet slipping, hair flying, I scrambled to get up. Without a second thought, I bolted the opposite direction. The basket lay forgotten behind me.

Desperately begging my feet to move faster, I ran for my life, away from that monster. The cold slashed into my face and my cloak whipped about me. I did not care, I simply wanted to live. Possibilities of what could've happened, if I did not run, flashed through my mind, motivating me all the more to sprint harder.

Would he have attacked me? Trapping me with those claws and tearing me apart with those teeth, blood coating his hands.

Terror shook me as the vivid scene played out, breathing suddenly got a lot harder as air intake became ragged. I was forced to stop running, not that it mattered anyways, I was far enough away. Letting out shakes breaths, I dared to look back. There were nothing but trees.

Reassured, that he wasn't coming after me, I made my way back slowly home.

But something wasn't right. It felt odd.

I couldn't shake off the feeling, that someone was watching me.

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A/N: Please review!


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